Darkness is a great place for lies
by x-over2
Summary: Percy lives in the Bronx. He has to work four jobs to pay the bills. And to pay for his drunkard stepfather's cigarettes and pricey beer. When he runs into a blonde girl in English class he knows she's trouble, not that kind if trouble the kind that is just curious enough and more than smart enough to figure out his long kept secret. Will she have a secret of her own? Kindly review
1. Everything sucks

**Ok. I have had this idea in my head for so long and I just had to get it out. Besides, math class is boring and they let us use laptops if we have one. Luckily I do. So hear you go, my second fanfic. Probably just as bad as the first.**

It was 9:00 when I walked through the front door more tired than I thought possible. The dim light coming from a single hanging bulb in the kitchen hurt my eyes. I slowly shuffled down the short hallway to my bedroom, a single lonely place with only a bed and a nightstand.

I collapsed in bed too tired to sleep. Images of that day were swirling around my brain. I heard the front door creak open loudly. My mom came into the room and I pretended to sleep. She looked sad. She walked out when she saw me "sleeping."

My cheap five dollar alarm clock beeped at me. I slowly crawled off my bed to the small dresser that was in the corner. By dresser I mean an old moving box that I put cardboard shelves in. I rooted around for my work shirt. When I found it I shoved it on running my hands through my hair in a failed attempt to get it to obey. I gave up and grabbed the comb from the floor in front of me. My hair turned into an impenetrable wall as soon as the plastic touched it. I attempted to pull the comb out of my hair only managing to get it more stuck. I pulled a beanie, my only beanie, on to cover up the comb and headed off for work. At nine-twenty at night.

I passed through dark alleys and passed by dark and dangerous people. I wasn't scared though, that's part of living in the Bronx. I saw a dim neon sign up ahead and broke into a run. Time itself seemed to bend and I found myself standing in front of Henry's Diner. Just a moment ago I was on the other side of the Bronx. Must have been the ADHD. I headed out back and saw a door with a sign I couldn't read. But I knew it said Employee entrance. I'm dyslexic by the way. So what I'm illiterate I can still get a make money from a job. Or four. I work all night and go to school all day. Sleep isn't on the agenda. Well one hour a night and 45 minutes of math class doesn't really count.

"Kid, you're late." I heard a growling voice call from inside.

"Sorry Sir. I really tried to get here on time." I squeaked in a small voice.

Jared, the night manager at Henry's diner let me in and pushed me towards the back where the kitchen was. I walked in and looked at the huge pile of dishes overflowing from the multiple sinks on the countertops. It was obvious that nobody had washed any dishes all day because they knew I would do it.

They do that to me all the time. Just because I'm was the only 6th grader in the Bronx who worked not one but four jobs. And all that money plus my mom's job still didn't' pay the bills, my deadbeat stepfather drinks away most of the money I make. I have no options and no future.

Exhausted I start on the dishes and for some reason every second takes longer. I put all the dishes that have burned food caked on the bottom in one of the sinks to soak. I hear the door to the back entrance click shut softly. There was only one guy who worked the 9:30 to 12:00 shift with me, but he started at 10:00. I look at the clock and see its only 9:45. I make my way to the last sink full and hear the employee entrance creak open again.

"Hey Perce. How ya' doing?" Nico calls to me from the other room.

I can hear him feed his timecard through the machine that stamps it. He walks into the room and we don't say a word for about two hours. I glance at the clock covering my eyes guessing it was almost midnight. I took away my hand and read the digital clock on the wall. It read 12:74. I remembered to take away two hours and fifty-seven minutes and make a not-so-educated guess at the math. It's probably about 10:10. What! How can it have only been ten minutes!

"So Nico, how's that sister of yours? You guys holding up all right?" I ask.

Nico is my age and his mother died young. His father left his sister, Bianca, and him the day after she died. Nico was only like five I think and Bianca was seven. She's fourteen now and Nico's twelve, like me. They have lived in a one room apartment in the same building as I do ever since then. He works only three jobs and his sister works five. I don't think she sleeps at all. I've seen her once and she had to be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. But it's not like I was checking her out, Nico's my bro, I just can't. It was obvious that she had gotten little to no sleep for a long, long time. They have held out pretty well. Nico and I both share a dream of getting our "families" out of the Bronx and into a better place. But unlike Nico, I don't ever want to leave New York. This place is my home, even if the apartment I live in now doesn't count as a home.

"She's good. I found her passed out at the table earlier and caller into work for her. The guy on the phone said she ran out of sick days even though she has never taken one. So I called her in dead. He'll have a surprise on Wednesday." He says to me.

"Nice."

"Yeah, how's your mom?"

"Not good, I think the Pig might be hitting her. I mean, it's one thing if he hits me, but her. Not ok. I need to get her out of here. And I can't take any overtime because she won't let me quit school even though it's what I need to do to feed her and me. So what if it's against the law."

"That's rough."

"Yeah, she keep talking about me going to college. I can't stay in a middle school for more than one year at a time. How will we be able to pay for college in general, not to mention like every year at a different school. You know I'll get kicked out, I'm already close at Goode and its only November. What do I do?"

The clock chimed that it was time for this shift to be over. I walked over and punched my timecard. I looked around the break room for the keys, its Tuesday we shut down early so I have to close. I finally find them in the closet under somebody smelly boots. Why they're there I don't know. I walk back to the kitchen and see Nico leaning on the stove staring off into space with a sad look in his eyes.

"Nicky boy, you alright?" I say to him.

I have those moments too when all you can think about is the past. It comes with the lifestyle I live. Those moments when all you want is to hold someone close, and then you realize you have nobody. There is no one on earth that will help you, because people suck. Life sucks, suck it up and get over it. If you get dealt a crappy hand, pull that ace out of your boot. Don't let anything stop you from the life you want. And sucky people r sure not gonna' stop me.

"Yeah, just trying to remember ya' know. I wish I just had one memory of her, a smile, maybe a lullaby she would sing me. Something to help the pain. I hate being alone." He says to me making me think about sucky people all over again.

"Let's go I have another job to get too and you have Bianca to take care of. She may be older but you have gotta be the man. Now man up and protect her. Work another job, let her stay home more often. Hell force her to stay home if she hasn't slept. Do what's best for her not you." I say.

**What do ya' think? Please Review if you think improvements could be made. Or just with PJO characters you want me to include.**


	2. Darren's Garage

**Well thank you for the kind review x-over3. By the way, nice name! Um I'll try to update often and still keep on top of the game with my other story. (I don't advise checking it out… it sucks.) So I'll be typing this chapter and the others off and on. Also I'm typing this out-of-pocket (As I go along) so it might be a little bad until I edit chapters a couple of times. Oh by the way, I don't own PJO or McDonald's. Or homeless people. I don't own them either. Oh and sorry to anyone who lives in the Bronx. I know it can't be that bad I'm just making it worse for the story. This story is gonna' be all human by the way.**

"Sir, yes sir" He says with a strange mock salute.

We walk out of the kitchen and head to the door. I get there first so I hold it for Nico. He locks it behind him. The door makes a cracking sound as it slams shut. I turned to Nico, he had a scared look on his face. I slowly make my way to the door and inspect it. It has an eight inch crack in the upper left-hand corner.

"What do we do?" Nico whisper-yells to me.

"I don't know!"

He smiled randomly and waked a few feet to the right disappearing from view. He came back into sight, dragging a random sleeping homeless guy by the collar. The man smells like vodka and is sleeping like a baby. He probably had like fifteen drinks. Nico put him face down in front of the door and moved a pipe from the alley to the area right in front of his right hand. The pipe looks to be steel and is just the right length to have made the crack.

"You're a genius. Let's go before I'm late and Bianca wakes up and starts to worry." I say to him.

"Alright, sorry dude." He says looking down at the guy.

We jog of through the alley and pass more dangerous people. A crossroads appears in the distance through the November fog. When we get there he goes left towards our building and I go right to my third job.

I work four jobs and go to school so my schedule goes something like this:

12:00am: Get off at Henry's

12:30am: Start at Darren's garage

2:00am: Start at Jamie's 24 hour "aquarium" (It's a front for a drug dealer.)

6:30am: get off work for good and sleep

7:15am: Wake up and make breakfast

7:30am: Go to school

3:30pm: Get out of school and go to Jane's Jewelry (Don't judge me!)

9:30pm: Start it all again at Henry's

See, no sleep.

I see the clock in Times Square. How did I get this off course? I have barely enough time to get to work if I sprint. I start to run and the world blurs past me. Next thing I know I'm at the main door to Darren's with my legs burning.

I head inside just as the clock says 12:29. I head over to the night manager.

"Sir, I'm here." He looks at me like he's disgusted I had the nerve to almost be late.

The thing is I'm not late so I have no idea why he is being so uptight. And so mad, did he have a bad day? Did his girlfriend leave him? Does he have a girlfriend?

"Well that's lucky of you, what happen? Little boy get lost?" He bends down to reach my short height and sneer's in my face.

"Hey, I'm not late right. So what's the problem? I start work at 12:30 and its 12:30 so I better get to work." I smirk back at him.

I'm usually not like this but Jerks like him and Gabe bring it out of me. I walk over to one of the cars that's not being fixed and try to read the clipboard on the bench next to it. As far as I can figure the tire's popped and something else is wrong. I try to read it again and the letters lift off the page. I give up. I grab one of the tools on the bench and slowly take off the tire. With the tire off I can see the rim is busted really bad too. I grab a screwdriver and try to pry loose the rusted bolts and screws. They don't budge at all. I slowly walk over to a buddy of mine, Grover.

"Hey, G-man. You got some bolt-cutters? The screws are all rusted tight." I say to him.

"Sure thing. How's the family and the jerk?"

"Just fine and drunk like always."

"And school?"

"We go to the same school you should know!"

"We don't have any classes together!"

"Whatever."

"Get back to work ladies!" A voice calls to us from the back room.

I grab the tool and give Grover a chin-up nod. As I head over to the car with the busted rim I hear yelling. The start of a fight. I drop the bolt cutters and see Connor Stoll and Charles Beckendorf standing facing each other.

"Give it back, thief!" Beckendorf says.

He's usually a calm and easy-going guy but if you take his tools he's quick to anger. He's another guy with a tough life. So is Connor, his twin Travis, Grover, Malcolm, and every other under-eighteen in this place.

"Hey guys, calm down Boss will fire all our asses if we start fighting. And then none of us will ever leave the Bronx. How's that sound huh? Yeah I don't know about you but I'm leaving this place. What you guys say to a nice apartment in downtown! Sounds good to me! Let's get out of here." Another amazing pep talk by The Percy Jackson!

"Sure man. Here Beck, there's the all-steel driver." Connor says.

"Thanks man."

"Oh and Beck."

"Yeah?"

"Get that girlfriend of yours, Silena, out of here. Give her the life she deserves."

"Will do, you and your brother leave here and steal in a good neighborhood."

"Thanks!"

Everyone shuffled back to their stations happy a fight didn't start. The adults looked disappointed I stopped it. I get to my station and pick up the bolt-cutters. The tool makes quick work of the rusted screws and I get the rim off.

The clock buzzes signaling the shift is over. I hear sighs of relief all over the shop. I put down the bolt-cutters and go to Grover. He has some muscle disorder so he has to use crutches. He also has to skip gym.

"Hey, man. Ya' need some help?"

"Yeah, get me up will ya'?"

I pick him up off of the ground and he's surprisingly heavy for how scrawny he is.

"Dude! What did you eat?"

"I didn't." he says darkly. Most of us skip meals but for his girlfriend he eats like once a day. And only a bit of food. His life is almost worse than mine or Nico's.

"Man, let me buy you a burger or something." I say to him.

There's a little money left in my pocket. Enough for a double cheese burger from McDonald's.

"You would really do that." The look on his face said he was about to have one of those moments.

Sure enough he leaned back against the car and got those sad eyes. His face turned blank and expressionless.

"G-man, let's go get that burger." I say to him.

"Yeah. I can't believe I'm letting you pay for me. What kind of man am I?"

"The kind who's twelve and lives in the Bronx."

We left the shop and saw Leo was still working. Beck was at his side.

"Come on, burgers are on me." I say.

"Yeah, Leo let's go. Percy, I'll help you pay." Beckendorf says.

"Thanks guys. Let's get out of here." Leo says.

We head out of the shop and onto the cold street. The fall chill has finally set in so the wind bit right through my thin jacket. My beanie keeps my ears warm though. So I can't complain as much as Leo who only has jeans, and a work shirt for warmth. We pass by a man with an expensive looking leather jacket and all of us shoot him a jealous look. He turns around and comes back to us. Like morons we stop and look at him. He shrugs of his jacket and hands it to Leo. He looks at it like it's made of gold. If I was wearing short sleeves and thin pants I would look at it that way too.

"Sir, are you sure you want to give this to me. I mean I'm just some kid."

"Oh please don't call me sir. My name is Apollo. And as for the jacket, it's all right. You shouldn't be in short sleeves at this time of year anyway. Giving you a jacket and buying you boys a burger is the least I could do to brighten up your lives." The man, apparently called Apollo says.

"Thanks sir you're the best. But seriously, why us? We're street rats, passed up by the world forever." I say.

"Come on. I know a place up ahead." The man says ignoring my question.

"Yes Apollo." Beckendorf says, elbowing me in the side for almost refusing his offer. Leo elbows my other side. I double over I pain when Beckendorf's strong arm connects with a bruise that was already on my ribs.

"Are you ok, kid?" The man has a look in his eyes that says, "That hit did not look hard, something is happening in this boy's life."

"Yes. I just fell down some stairs earlier this week." I say smoothly. I'm not really lying, my fall just had a lot of help.

"Ok." He says disbelieving.

We are at a small diner that looks empty. He lights are on inside and I can smell burgers cooking and fries in a deep fat fryer. Grover walks in first and then comes the Apollo. Beck, Leo, and I stay back. We haven't really met this man yet and I don't trust him. I turn to Leo who looks like his tiny form is almost swallowed up by the jacket. Leo slowly walked into the restaurant. I hear a noise and look over. Nico and Bianca appear in the mist. They look just as cold as I'm feeling. They reach us and we don't say a word, just lead them inside. Apollo takes one look at them and says something to the waiter.

"Yes, all of them too." He says. "Come take a seat kids."

We sit down and pick up menus. I can't read mine and Bianca looks over my shoulder and names all the dishes out loud. Then she does the same thing for Nico, Beckendorf, Connor, Leo, and Travis. The only thing all of us have in common is ADHD and dyslexia. Grover and Bianca are both neither though their still one of us. Katie Gardner, Silena Beauregard, Piper McLean, Jason and Thalia Grace, and Malcolm are all part of the group. We all, besides Piper, live here in the Bronx. And we all have bad lives, so we stick together. After all, misery loves company.

**What do you think? Ok complaining time, 72 views and only one review! Seriously people! That means only about 2% of people review. Common be special and review if this is any good, or just to tell me how bad I'm doing I honestly don't care which.**


	3. Street rat

**Ok. Still one review, REALLY?! That's the best you guys can do? Whatever, I'm just gonna test out this next chapter. Review if you like it, oh why am I saying this? None of you read these, or review apparently.**

The food is better than anything I have had that my mom didn't cook. It's amazing, and the man is letting us get whatever we want. As much as we want. I'm pissed off that Malcolm, Silena, and the others can't be here too.

I slurp my Oreo milkshake, I have never had a Oreo milkshake before but they're awesome!

"So Apollo, why are you doing this? I mean you must have places to be and people to see why drop it all to help us, people you'll probably never see after tonight?" I say.

"Because, boy I don't know the name of, it's the right thing to do." He says like he's begging me to disagree.

"It is?" I have never heard of the right thing to do before. You have to be selfish to survive here, I'm going to die judging on how I act.

"Yes, have you heard of common generosity? It's just what I should do when I see starving, freezing kids on the street at night. I couldn't have lived with myself if I had just let you keep suffering. Hey, what are your names anyway kids?"

"I'm Leo, and that's Percy, Beckendorf, Silena, Grover, Bianca, and Nico." Leo (duh, who else would say "I'm Leo") says.

"Ok. Percy is it?" he asks pointing to me, "Can I speak to you for a moment. In private?"

I guess I can't refuse this little thing when he just bought us dinner so I say, "Um… sure."

He leads me over to the back of the building and looks at my chest, at the spot Beck elbowed earlier.

"Did you really fall down the stairs?" He says bluntly not letting me think of further description for my fake story.

"Uh, y-yeah." I choke on my words, it's just impossible to lie to this man!

"Did your fall have any help?" He looks like he already knows the answer, Jeez this guy is smarter than he looks!

"I, um, um… n-n-no" Yup still choking.

"Tell me Percy. I can help."

"I, I'm late for work thanks for the food, and the jacket you gave to Leo. You're the best." And with that I wave goodbye and head back outside into the freezing wind.

The November rain is soaking through my clothes and soon I'm drenched. I look u at the dark sky and can faintly see stars through the smog that blankets the city. They look beautiful. I've never left the Bronx and have never clearly seen the stars, I want to though. Just for a little while, like two months at most just to know what the rest of the world is like.

I glance up at a digital clock on top of some bank and see its 1:45. I also read that it's 35 degrees out. It has got to be colder than that. I wish I had Leo's jacket right about now. It seemed so nice and warm. I need to get halfway across the Bronx in fifteen minutes or I'm screwed.

I break into a run and my legs start to move on their own, my arms pumping at my sides. My breath changes from normal breathing to short, fast, ragged pants. The world disappears around me and all that's real to me is memories. My mind burrs and I'm suddenly in the past.

*Flashback*

I walk through the door after school and immediately know my mom's not home yet. I can smell alcohol and smoke. I head through the kitchen, screwing the light bulb back in as I go. Gabe is on the cheap old couch. He seems like he's asleep but I'm not sure.

I pick the beer bottles up off the floor because I know I'd be beaten if I didn't. Being the good boy I am I recycle the empty bottles. One beer is half full and I know better than to pour the rest out. If I do I would be wasting money I worked for. Plus I would get pounded for getting rid of "perfectly good" beer.

I start to head down the short hallway that leads to the bedrooms and bathroom I hear his low growling voice.

"Punk, get over here."

I know not to disobey him but going over there is just asking for a knuckle sandwich. I head over despite my dislike for getting beat up.

"Y-yes sir?" I mumble.

"Did you have a good day at school?" He sneers at me.

I stay silent.

"Answer me!" He bellows.

I blink and he's standing up. His lightning quick hands whip over to me and I feel sharp pain as his fist connects with the side of my nose. There's a crack and I stumble, blood rushing down my face.

"Y-yes sir." I try to sound like a man but my voice is small and weak, like a child's.

"Y-y-yes sir." He mocks. "It's not like you learn anything anyway. You can't read you're so stupid. I don't know why you bother going. Wasting your time." His words hit home when he says I can't read.

He shoves me and I stumble on the edge of the couch. I lose my balance and trip falling to the ground in an oh-so-graceful heap. His foot, covered in a boot, hits my face and pain explodes in my cheek. I wince screaming at myself on the inside. Begging me not to cry out. He kicks me again and me ribs make a sickening cracking sound.

I can't register any other feeling other than pain so deep that the world fade into a gray circle. It's hollow and all I can see is Gabe. He hits me again and again but I don't feel anything anymore. My tiny gray circle of consciousness shrinks slightly when his hand touches my chest again.

And then he's done. The beating is over as suddenly as it began.

I attempt to get to my feet only making my ribs feel worse. I end up crawling down the hallway to my room. I shuck my shirt off as soon as the door closes. My chest doesn't look so good. It's covered in blue and purple marks. On my side the bruise has streaks of red from where his foot broke through the skin. The small part of my mind that can form a decent thought yells at me to get up and clean off the wound. The rest of my yells to just lie down and die.

I hear footsteps outside my door and pray to any and all gods out there that it's my mom not Gabe. Of course the gods hate me so it's Gabe back to make me suffer some more.

He has a chair in his hands and whacks me over the head without saying word.

"Do you feel like explaining why you did that?" I ask the words flying out of my mouth and I just can't put them back in.

He grunts and hits me again. My vision blurs when he hits me upside the head.

"Stand up! Be a man!" He's yelling but it's like someone stuffed cotton I my ears, I can barely hear him. I take a moment to gather my wits and say the first thing that pops into my head.

"It's hard to learn how a man acts without one in the house!" Oh shit! Why did I say that? I'm so stupid!

"What was that punk? Want me to show you how man I am?" His yelling is still muffled by the sheep a moron stuffed into my ears.

"No it's fine I can watch from a distance."

"Oh you're really gonna get it now Punk"

"I think I already got it. What with the goddamn chair and all."

"Are you talking back to me Punk?" He reinforces his question with a kick to the head but I don't feel the pain.

"Yes Gabe, that's how a conversation works." Oh my god how many times do I have to tell myself to shut up?

He hits me again and my awareness just goes away. All I can see is black, somewhere I my mind I know that I need to fight to stay awake but the darkness is so peaceful. No Gabe, no work, no struggling to feed people, no anything. I think I'll just stay here for a while…

*****End Flashback*

I flash back to the present and find myself on the ground. All that happened a few weeks ago. I look back behind me and can faintly make out the numbers on the clock I passes earlier. Its 1:57, I'm screwed. Of course, I could go into some place pretending I'm a lost little boy who needs to use the phone, but that would be the weak way out. And if Gabe taught me anything, which he didn't, then he taught me how to be a man. His method of teaching is pretty interesting though.

I get up and start running again. I'm surprised I had one of those moments, I haven't had on in weeks. Once again the world goes away and I find myself two miles farther ahead than I had been a few minutes ago. I walk inside and see a bunch of fish in lighted tanks, but all that's just for show. Lots of the fish are endangered species that legally shouldn't be here. But Boss likes to think he's important enough to have them.

I head out back and choke on cigarette smoke. There is talking up ahead and I can tell I'm just a bit late. I hope Boss won't mind. I head inside and wave to a few of Boss's thugs. They do the chin-up nod thing back to me, and that's all the chatting we do. I see a stack of boxes and a nearby truck. The job is pretty self-explanatory.

I pick on box up and man is it heavy. Putting the rest of the boxes into the truck is slow work, with my ribs and their weight.

"Surely you're not slacking are you Jackson?" Boss's voice calls from behind me. It's gruff and deep, the sound a lion would make if it could speak English.

I turn around and put on a confident face. "No sir, I just hurt my ribs earlier is all. Sorry for being so slow." The Boss is a pretty good guy so he'll probably let me off.

"Oh, um… Kid if you need bandages or something just call me alright." Then he walks off into the shadows.

Huh, Boss is nice but he never treats anyone like that, is it my lucky day? I mean first Apollo and now Boss. What is happening?

**Um, how was it. Review if you liked it, loved it, or absolutely hated it. I don't care which.**


	4. Annabeth Chase

**Hey everyone. I'm on holiday break from school so I don't have any classes. I go to a boarding school that lets us sty for the break so my parents decided I didn't need to come home. Jerks. Well there might be updates more often but I'm kinda busy buying gifts for my friends, I'm no good at shopping. Here you go another interesting, maybe, chapter.**

I wake up in my room with images of last night swirling in my mind. I remember boss giving me a ride home in his Cadillac, which was super awesome by the way. I also remember sneaking in the door to find Gabe passed out on the couch. I walked through to the kitchen and found my mom asleep at the table with bills in front of her. I half carried-half dragged her to the master bedroom. Or what counts as one in this run-down shack anyway.

I glance at my clock and find that my alarm hasn't gone off but I'm still late for class. Piece of shit that clock is. I jump up and grab one of my two pairs of jeans and throw them on. I pull the t-shirt I hadn't bothered to take off last night over my head and replace it with a plane white V-neck. My ribs explode in pain as my hands run over them to smooth out the shirt. I pull the hem up my chest and look in the broken mirror, I still have bruises but all signs of the bleeding have gone away. I run my fingers through my hair like I do when I'm nervous and it magically flattens out. Sorta. I grab my bag from the floor and my chest hurts once again as I sling it over my shoulder. Then I sprint through the kitchen and see that Gabe hasn't bothered to get up yet, thank god.

I make my way out the door and out on to the street. With winter just around the corner I find myself staring right at a sunrise. It looks like the only beautiful thing in this cruel and unforgiving world. It's streaked with pink and orange, which makes the red that much more stunning. I know I need to start the long run to school but I just can't seem to make myself move my feet. They seem stapled to the concrete, the sun is just that beautiful.

When I finally do get moving I'm five minutes later than I was before. I run and my surroundings blur like they always do then suddenly, I'm in front of my school, with ten minutes to spare. The other kids showed up about half an hour ago.

I walk inside and shove my books out of my backpack putting them in my locker. Then I have to put back the Pre-Algebra book. I walk down the Labyrinth of hallways that is Goode Middle school. There are posters placed on the walls covering the ugly light-blue paint. I see the classroom I'm headed to and my pace slows in a vain attempt to spend as much time as possible outside of math class.

I finally do get through the door and make walk straight to my regular seat, in the back corner, away from all the people who could ask me questions.

"Mr. Jackson, thank you for finally gracing us with your presence." Mrs. Dodds, the fifty-billion year old teacher says.

I stay silent, last time I said something back she gave me detention for a month and I almost lost my after school job for being late.

The rest of math class passed slowly like always but I managed not to get in trouble. So did my next two classes, science and history. Now I have English.

I trudge through the door to my English class and head to my seat, in the back corner. The first half of class is pretty normal, Mr. Nicoll talking about prefixes and other stuff I don't understand, and me pretending to listen to the shit he has to say. Then right in the middle of his lecture about how this is very important and will be essential in life someone burst through the door.

She has long, blonde hair that curled like a Princesses. Her features sat perfectly on her face and she looked all out beautiful, hot even. Bianca isn't even the ballpark compared to this girl. And then she looks up.

Her eyes are grey, like storm clouds. They have the gleam that says "I know so many things you don't." But they also look over everyone in the room like she was seeing the best was to take them down in a fight. They stop when she looks at me and she holds her gaze for a moment so brief I'm not even sure she looked in my direction.

"Um, I'm new here and the people in the office said someone would give me a guide me around the school because I have no idea where anything is, but they never showed up. So I'm not even sure if this is the room I'm should be in." she says confidently like she owns this school already.

"Let me see your schedule I can tell you where to go." Mr. Nicoll says.

The girl hands over the paper I hadn't noticed was in her hand. Mr. Nicoll laughs and says,

"Well even without a guide you managed to make it to the right room. The period is almost over so just sit down and I will get you a guide by the end of class. What is your name?" He says.

"Annabeth Chase." The pretty girl says back.

"Ok, who is willing to show Annabeth here around the school?"

Like ten guys hands shoot up and without realizing it mine raises too, faster than all of theirs.

"Percy Jackson will show you to all of your classes. How about you two go off now so you don't get lost in the hustle later."

"Sure Mr. Nicoll." I say holding back a huge smile. I get to meet the model-like new girl!

We walk out the door and she hands me her schedule. The words all float off the page and fall to an unceremonious pile on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm dyslexic and can't read any of this." I say embarrassed.

"Oh great that makes two of us." She says.

When I see her smile for the first time the world stops spinning. Everything is on pause and all I can do is stare. Time restarts and I laugh. She laughs too, pretty soon she's doubled over giggling hysterically. I try to bend over too but my ribs don't believe that's a great idea. I wince and all the laughter stops.

"Are you all right?" She says looking genuinely worried about me.

"Yeah I'm fine." I lie to her. It's the hardest thing I have ever done, it's like those grey eyes can see right into my brain and know what I'm thinking.

"Yeah I'm sure that's true." She says, "But I'll let it go until you're ready to tell me."

Truth is I would tell her now but I couldn't put her in danger like that. Gabe has threatened to kill anyone I tell. And I just can't let anyone hurt her, I can't.

"Percy, are you really ok? Please tell me." She says softly her voice lower than a whisper, just the ghost of a sound I can barely hear.

"Not here. Not now." I say without thinking, my voice mimicking hers.

"Ok let's just go to my next class we can talk about this later." She whispers.

We both calm down enough to read the words on her schedule and, what-do –you-know we have all the same classes.

"Well it looks like we won't need this anymore. I say throwing her schedule at the trash can across the hall. It falls about two feet short and my chances of impressing her fall with it.

"The wind must have caught it." I mumble embarrassed. I start the walk of shame over to the paper and put it in the bin.

"Yeah the wind must be so strong indoors." Her voice drips with sarcasm as she says the word "so".

"Hey let's just get to class, alright?" I say smiling, I've only known her a second but it feels like I've known her for life.


End file.
